1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tourniquet consisting of a fibrous material structure with an elasticity equivalent to that of traditional rubber tourniquets but substantially cheaper to produce and therefore suitable for a single use.
The tourniquet, according to the present invention, shows highly useful characteristics, as will be shown in the following detailed description.
2. Description of Related Art
The spread of highly infectious viral diseases has accentuated the need for adequate preventive measures in regard to sanitary materials.
For example, disposable syringes are generally used by health services and by individuals instead of glass syringes.
This provides a maximum guarantee against infections along with maximum practicality. In fact, it is not economical to sterilize syringes, since sterilization costs more than the syringe itself.
Similar statements can be made for bandages, gauzes, tapes and bandaids, once recycled after sterilization and now thrown away after one use.
The decisive factor in this development was their manufacture out of paper, due in part to the mechanical strength (especially stretch resistance) of this material and to the ease of disposing of them by incineration without polluting the environment.
For these reasons, smocks, masks, hats, drapes and sheets in operating room are now made of disposable cellulose fibre materials.
In addition, much attention is now given to protecting the medical and paramedical personnel from accidental injection by infectious blood and there are continuous public campaigns not to use syringes previously used by others.
However, no attention has been paid to the tourniquet, which is indispensable to anyone who has to give an intravenous injection.
There are several kinds of tourniquets. The most widely used is the traditional rubber tube used for many patients in succession and over long periods of time.
Since the appearance of the acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a great deal of attention has been paid to the risks of transmission of the infection from patient to patient or from patient to persons treating him, or vice versa.
Therefore, it would be helpful to have a disposable tourniquet available to avoid even the possibility of being contaminated.